Case Study: Unifying Operational Framework Across a $500M Global Adhesive Technologies Company

A $500M global leader in high-performance adhesive technologies was operating with fragmented ERP systems across different business entities. The result: inconsistent processes, duplicated efforts in procurement, finance, and operations — and a financial consolidation process that consumed weeks of management time with limited insight into actual business performance.

Leadership knew the problem. What they lacked was a credible path to fix it without disrupting the business.

Our diagnostic identified two compounding root causes:

Fragmented systems, fragmented truth. Each entity had evolved its own ERP configuration, its own reporting logic, and its own set of workarounds. There was no shared data model — which meant no reliable way to compare performance across subsidiaries or consolidate financials without significant manual effort.

Process inconsistency at scale. Core functions — procurement, inventory management, production planning — were being executed differently across entities. What worked in one subsidiary was invisible to another. Best practices weren't spreading; neither was accountability.

We deployed a single ERP platform to replace the legacy systems across entities. Standard operating procedures were established for core functions, and a shared data model was introduced to harmonize reporting across the organization.

This wasn't a lift-and-shift — we redesigned the processes that the ERP would support before configuring the system, ensuring the technology served the operating model rather than constraining it.

We automated inventory and production workflows using real-time barcode scanning, lot tracking, and advanced MRP capabilities. Manual processes that had been creating data lag and errors were replaced with automated triggers and exception-based management.

Technology deployed: Sage Financials, ProcessPro, SKU Science, Excel, SQL, PowerBI, Azure Synapse Serverless

We implemented a Sales and Operations Planning process across the different business units — connecting demand planning, supply planning, and financial targets into a single operating cadence for the first time.

The S&OP design accounted for the complexity of a multi-entity structure: each business unit maintained its own planning cycle, but the processes were standardized and the outputs fed into a consolidated executive view.

• Consistent operational model across all entities — improved collaboration and transparency across departments and subsidiaries
• Improved forecast accuracy and enhanced cross-functional alignment, enabling proactive scenario planning to support business agility
• Positioned for rapid growth — the unified framework allowed new business units to be integrated with minimal disruption, turning M&A integration from a multi-year project into a structured 90-day process

The client's leadership team was willing to make the hard call: standardize first, optimize later. The temptation in multi-entity ERP programs is to accommodate every entity's unique requirements. We pushed back on that instinct — and the result was a system that actually worked across the organization rather than a patchwork of compromises.

This case study has been anonymized to protect client confidentiality. Results are representative of actual engagement outcomes.